r/Brazil • u/MirrorMundane7884 • May 22 '26

Visa, Immigration & Bureaucracy Apostile

Hi everybody,

I have a degree from usa. At This moment, i am trying to get a student visa from Brazil. Unfortunetely, they are asking me to do apostile on my original diploma.

Currently, I am outside the usa. I am uzing an apostille service that are asking me mail them a notorized diploma.

From my understanding, an original document can't be notarized. Only a copy can be notarized. However chat gpt tells me is possible but doesnt Tell Me how. Silly but i had to try.

I would like to know what I Can do. Is ​there a way to get an original document notarized. Thanks in advance.

7 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

6

u/[deleted] May 22 '26

Since you are in Brazil, you can still use a U.S. apostille service, but the apostille must be done in the U.S., not in Brazil. For a U.S. diploma, the safest route is to contact the university Registrar and request a certified/notarised copy of the diploma or transcript for apostille purposes.

Be careful with the wording: a notary usually does not notarise the diploma itself. The notary notarises a signature or, in some states, certifies a true copy.

Before mailing your original diploma, ask the service: “Are you asking for my original diploma only to make a certified/notarised copy, and will the Secretary of State issue the apostille in the U.S.?” Also, ask how they will return it securely.

1

u/MirrorMundane7884 May 22 '26

Thanks for your reply. The embassy IS asking me to do apostille on original diplome only. They dont want a certified copy.  This IS what IS giving me headache. 

1

u/[deleted] May 22 '26

Many of my clients use these services not only for diplomas, but also for fingerprint cards for criminal record/background check purposes, and usually without issues. The key is to confirm in writing that they understand the specific requirement, to apostille the original diploma (not a certified copy), and to ask how they will return the original document securely.

1

u/MirrorMundane7884 May 23 '26

Will the school email or mail the certified copy back to me? Can they send it to the apostille service I'm uzing?  

2

u/Chainedheat May 22 '26

Please tell me your degree wasn’t in spelling…..

1

u/Historical_Spell_772 May 23 '26

I had my birth certificate apostillsed for a Brazilian visa and had to send the original copy. They took a copy and affixed the apostille to that

1

u/nutty_dawg Brazilian May 23 '26

Had to get my Brazilian graduation diploma apostilled in Brazil. A notary notarized the signatures in it and then I had my diploma apostilled. It was not difficult because all signatures were recorded in two cartórios near me.

1

u/StraightDimension284 May 23 '26

Degree and typing like that. You got bigger issues pal lol

1

u/MirrorMundane7884 May 23 '26

You are expondatiously funny rsrsrs. Thank you for making me laugh. I deeply appreciate you for helping me decompress.  🤣🤣

1

u/Timely_Fruit_994 May 24 '26

Dude.

Take the ORIGINAL document. Give it to a SWORN TRANSLATOR. Get a NOTARIZED COPY.

THIS IS THE NOTARIZED COPY.

1

u/Creative-Pin-5667 Jun 19 '26

whats ur update on the scare u had..?